In most of the US, the time to start seeds is upon us! Check out this video from Town Square provider Stephanie McKinstry for some how-tos to get started.

Gardening with children is an easy way to help them expand their palates and try new foods and spend their time outside. Depending on your climate, planting seeds or sprouts now can get you snacks and meal components all the way through the end of the fall. If you’re not an experienced gardener, you may want to start with container gardens which are smaller and tend to require less upkeep as well as startup costs compared to digging in the ground. Maybe do a little bit of homework to determine the placement of your plants, but once you have a sense of the sunniest spots of your yard as well as the shadiest you can go to your local garden store to find plants that will thrive in either space. For your warm and sunny spots tomatoes and zucchini are easy to grow and just a few plants can make many pounds of produce.

The benefits of gardening with children are numerous:

• Supporting children’s exploration of the natural world and understanding of living things
• Connecting children to where food comes from
• Children are more likely to try fresh produce when they’ve grown it.
• Sharing an abundance with families can support whole family nutrition and valuable educator-family relationships

Check out For Educators – KidsGardening